Tears welled up in the eyes of the mother of three and she ran into the bedroom where she sobbed quietly.

One of the surviving girls told SowetanLIVE sister publication TimesLIVE that they had gone to the river for a swim in the morning but Amahle couldn't cope with the current as she could not swim properly.

The nine-year-old girl said the last time she saw Amahle‚ she was facing up with only her head and arms out of the water as she was being swept away by the current.

"She started crying and we didn't know what to do. I grabbed a branch and managed to come out of the river. I don't know what happened to her‚" she said.

Scores of shocked residents had gathered at the scene of the accident hoping the girl could be found.

An official on site said divers from the Durban police and the metro police search and rescue units were deployed to H Section‚ Umlazi.

"Four children were playing in the river when they were swept away by the fast flowing water. Three of the children were able to get out of the water. The fourth‚ Amahle Mvuyo‚ disappeared below the surface."

Durban Fire and Rescue were alerted to the scene by a vehicle tracking company in the area and police divers were airlifted to the scene.

"While a dive operation was conducted by the divers‚ the SAPS Airwing continued downstream with an aerial search‚" the official said.

He said that the K9 dog squad was also helping.

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